SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Russell Sage College baseball swept a doubleheader against Western New England on Saturday afternoon.
The Gators won game one 9-3 and came out on top of the seven-inning game two 7-3.
Xavier Garcia (San Diego, CA/Saratoga Springs/SUNY Adirondack) delivered his strongest performance of the season so far in game one, punching out eight Golden Bears across six innings of work to secure the victory. The senior allowed just three hits without surrendering an earned run.
Senior Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) led the way offensively for RSC, driving in four runs with a pair of triples and a single.
Senior Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose) brought Grimes across to score after his first three-bagger with a bunt single, and sophomore Darren Dengler (Hobart, NY/South Kortright) wrapped up the scoring with a bases-clearing double in the top of the ninth.
Junior Tyler Murray (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia/HVCC) came out of the pen in relief of Garcia, allowing just one hit and one run in his three innings of work, securing his first save of the season.
RSC got the scoring started early in the seven-inning game two, scoring three runs in the third inning thanks to run-producing singles by Grimes and senior Joseph Karpierz (Latham, NY/Shaker/Xavier).
Grimes continued to produce offensively as the game continued, driving in a run on a groundout in the fifth inning and a two-run knock in the top of the seventh. The senior finished the doubleheader with six hits and eight runs batted in.
Senior Aidan Green (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro/Onondaga CC) went the distance for the Gators in the nightcap, needing just 88 pitches to toss the first RSC complete game of the year.
Karpierz finished with a pair of hits in game two, as did freshman Nick Irizarry (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield), who also scored three runs and stole a base.
RSC (10-3) returns home on Tuesday and plays host to VTSU Castleton.